Jed couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was like Morse all over again, only ten times worse. Not only was his heart being ripped out, but his entire world was falling down around him. He'd opened himself up and let Noah in, trusting the man wouldn't hurt him.

He should have known better. Love was for fools and Jed had been the biggest fool of them all because he had, in fact, fallen deeply in love with Noah Cross.

If there was a real hell, Noah was living in it. He had moved out of the ranch and had rented a room in town. He wasn't stupid enough to go back to the trailer park, but he couldn't stand living at the Triple-B ranch either. Not when he knew he wasn't Jed's mate.

Worse, he'd given Jed his notice and had gone back to being a waiter at the Pheasant Run Cafe. Except for the scars he bore from his attack, the last month had felt like a dream.

It didn't help that Clayton, Bryson, and Harland had come by the diner to try and talk Noah into moving back to the ranch. There was no way he could get on with his life if those men wouldn't leave him alone. But every time they came by, it took a miracle for Noah not to ask how Jed was doing. He couldn't ask, because if he did, he would never get out of the depression he now called home.

"What can I get for you?" he mechanically asked the couple sitting in his section. His pencil was poised over his pad, but Noah was staring out of the big, bay window, wondering what Jed was doing at this very moment.

"Did you hear me?" the gentleman asked.

"Huh?" Noah glanced back down and saw the couple staring at him. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" He took their order and headed toward the kitchen. Noah didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be anywhere but in Jed's arms.

But he had to be strong and move on with his life. It would do him no good to pine away over someone who wasn't meant to be his. When Noah entered the kitchen, he gripped the counter, trying to pull enough air into his lungs to actually breathe. The tears were so close to spilling that he had to swallow several times around the large lump in his constricted throat.

"Are you all right?" the cook asked. No, he wasn't, but Noah kept that to himself. He gave the guy a tight smile before handing over his order and leaving the kitchen.

Only time would ease the pain, would fill the gaping hole centered in his chest. Noah knew this, but it didn't help. He just wanted to ball up and cry himself into unconsciousness.

Get a grip.

Easier said than done. Taking in a very deep breath, Noah plastered on a smile and got back to work. He forced any thought of Jed out of his mind, refusing to allow himself to think about the man. It worked for most of the day. Noah served food, took a few breaks, and even managed to laugh when his boss told him a joke.

But deep down, in a place where the suffering continued to wage war, he was slipping deeper into depression. At the end of his shift, Noah waved his good-bye and headed home.

To a rented room.

By himself.

"You have to shake yourself out of this," he said to himself. "There are plenty more men in the sea."

It wasn't like him to lose his mind over some guy and he had to put his best effort forward to get over Jed. Noah decided he would pay his dad a visit. He hadn't seen the guy in a while. Jack usually didn't bother Noah about visiting and it was high time he saw the man.

It might even do him some good. His father was great at giving advice. With that in mind, Noah headed to his dad's house. Now that he no longer lived in the trailer park, it seemed even more ominous as he drove through. It no longer held that familiar feel and Noah made quick work of getting to his dad's.

He didn't want to linger around because he still couldn't remember what had happened to him to put him in the hospital. If it wasn't for his father, Noah would never come back to this godforsaken place.

When he spotted his father sitting outside, soaking up the last rays of sun, Noah grinned. Except for the touches of grey at the man's temple, Jack Cross looked the same as he had when Noah was a kid. But he knew the man's weakness. Jack had had back problems since serving his time in the military.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Jack said with a beaming smile as he set his mug aside and sat up straighter. Noah got out of the car and hugged his father before taking a seat on the trailer steps.

"How's it going, Dad?"

Jack shrugged as he gazed over the park. "Not bad. Having one of my good days." His father reached for his mug and took a sip of what Noah knew to be tea and brandy. "How's it going for you? I hear you moved into the Triple-B ranch."

"Sorry I didn't tell you." It had been so quick and Noah had had other things to worry about, like healing. He didn't want to worry his old man. Although Jack Cross was a tough ex-Marine, the man wasn't getting any younger and he'd always worried about Noah.

His father waved his apology away. "Just glad you came to see me." He shifted in his chair, his pale-blue eyes assessing. "You got something on your mind."

It was a statement. Jack was damn good at reading people, especially Noah. It had made his teenage years hell whenever Noah was trying to hide something from his father. The man always knew when Noah was up to no good and had called him on it every time.

"I just came to see how you were doing," Noah said, still not wanting to worry his father. He had originally come here for advice, but now that he was around his dad, something settled inside of him. Noah felt like things were going to be okay-even though his heart was still broken.

"Matters of the heart," his dad said as he nodded. "Always a tricky subject to talk about." The man should know. He still hadn't gotten over the loss of his wife. It had been ten years and Noah could still see the pain in the man's eyes. His parents hadn't been rich, but the love they'd had for one another was what fairy tales were made of.

Noah kicked the toe of his boot against the concrete as he rested his upper body on his knees. He stared at the ground, wishing an easy answer would come to him where Jed was concerned.

"Why'd you quit the service station?" Jack took another sip of his tea and brandy, gazing away from Noah, yet Noah felt as if the man were staring right at him.

"It's complicated."

"Then your heart matters are with Jed."

Damn, the man was good. That was one thing he honestly loved about his dad. Jack had never judged his son for being gay. The man accepted him for who he was and loved him regardless. That was saying a lot for a marine. Noah couldn't have asked for a better father.

"It might have something to do with it," he admitted.

"Something unforgiveable?"

"Something I have no control over." Noah felt the heartache once more. All he wanted was Jed, no one else. But fate had decided he wasn't good enough for the cowboy. Life was so damn unfair.

"Those bears can be tough to love sometimes."

Noah's head snapped up, his lips parting as he gaped at his father. Jack never ceased to amaze him with his wisdom.

His father gave a light chuckle. "Served with a bear shifter. He was wounded and had to shift to heal. Hell of a thing to see when under fire. I wasn't sure if I should be more afraid of the enemy or Lance Corporal Noah Higgins." Jack shrugged. "Turned out to be my best friend until he was killed two years after we got out."

"Why haven't I ever heard of him before?" Noah asked.

"Some things a man doesn't like to talk about," his father said. "Memory's too painful. But I named you after him."

Noah would have liked to have met his namesake. He was starting to see that there were layers to his father that he had never known about.

"You reckon you can fix things between you and Jed?"

Noah shook his head. "I'm not his mate." If his father knew about bear shifters, then there was no need to hide the truth-no matter how painful it was to admit. "I decided to cut my losses before Jed found whoever he's supposed to be with."

"How do you know you aren't the one he's supposed to be with?"

Maybe his dad was starting to get senile. Hadn't he just told the guy he wasn't Jed's mate? Noah took in a deep breath and blurted, "I'm not pregnant."

Jack sat there for the longest time, staring at the setting sun, saying nothing as he sipped his tea mix. Noah remained quiet as well. He was sitting next to a man he'd admired and respected his entire life and the silence was comfortable.

"Don't give up, son," Jack said. "Fate has a funny way of working things out."

Noah didn't see how. Fact was fact. He wasn't pregnant so he wasn't Jed's mate. It was pretty cut and dry to him. "It's getting late."

Jack nodded as he stood, his balance a little shaky. "Best be getting inside. Come back and see me sometime, son."

Noah hugged his father, needing the anchor, the feeling of safety, before he got into his car and drove home. He might not have found any answers, but he did feel much better-at least for now.

Chapter Seven.

Jed had no idea where Clayton was taking him. The man had said it was urgent. It seemed like they'd been driving for hours, though Jed knew it had only been roughly forty-five minutes. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Almost there," Clayton said as he checked his side mirror before turning down an old country road made of dirt. They were definitely off the beaten path. Jed didn't know this road and was becoming increasingly antsy to get out and let his bear run.

It had been nearly two months since Noah had left and Jed's patience was on a short fuse these days. He felt caged, his skin too tight, his nerves frayed. A small log cabin came into view. "What's this?"

"You'll see," Clayton said.

"I'm getting really tired of your short answers."

Clayton scowled. "You've been bitchy as hell for far too long, Jed. Stop snapping at me before I run this truck off a cliff."

Jed grunted as he waited for them to come to a stop. When they did, Clayton climbed out and waved toward the one-story cabin. "It's inside."

"What's inside?" Jed was getting a very bad feeling about this. He knew Clayton wasn't up to anything sinister, but Jed didn't like the whole cloak-and-dagger routine. He spun on Clayton. "Either you tell me what's going on or I'm walking back home."

"That's a far walk, Jed. It's a far run for your bear, too. Just trust me and go inside."

Jed stood there for a moment and eyed Clayton before finally relenting. He stepped onto the porch, gazing around the area, but nothing seemed out of place. If his friends had brought him all the way out here for an intervention, he was going to string all three of them up by their balls.

But when he stepped into the cabin, it wasn't his friends waiting for him. His heart hammered against his chest when he saw Noah standing in the small kitchenette. Jed turned and headed for the door, but Clayton slammed it closed. When he turned the handle, nothing happened. He was locked inside.

"Damn it, Clayton. You have five seconds to let me out of here!"

"Not until you two work your shit out," Clayton hollered from the other side. "And don't think about trying to escape. There's no way out. But no worries, I have first guard duty. If a fire breaks out, I'll open the door."

Jed slammed the palm of his hand into the worn wood. "Was this your idea?" he groused at Noah without turning around.

"Hell no," Noah answered with vehemence in his tone. "I didn't know you were going to be here. Clayton said he needed to see me and told me to meet him here."

Clayton was going to pay for this. That meddlesome little matchmaker had no right to stick his nose where it didn't belong. Jed moved over to the windows, but to his utter dismay, there were thick bars on them. Clayton was right. There was no way out of here.

"Damn it!" Jed punched the wall close to the window. He didn't want to be near Noah. He didn't want to inhale the man's familiar scent. The reminder of what he'd lost only deepened the pain of losing the man in the first place.

He began to pace the cabin at an angry clip, avoiding the area where Noah was sitting. Jed refused to look the man's way. He wasn't going to let his resolve weaken.

For nearly two hours neither one said a word. Jed had stopped pacing long ago and had taken up staring out of the barred window. There was a part of him that ached deeply to hold Noah again. His bear whimpered to have the human within touching distance.

"How long is Clayton going to keep us here?" Noah asked from the same spot he'd been sitting in when Jed arrived. The man hadn't moved. The human's tone was bored and that only pissed Jed off even more.

"How the hell should I know?" Curling his hands into fists, Jed shoved them under his armpits as he watched the gentle wind blow through the canopy of trees. He was itching to go for a run, to burn off this excess energy and frustration.

"He's your friend," Noah pointed out. "Has he done something like this before?"

Jed gritted his teeth. "No."

"This is stupid." Noah got up and began to pound on the door. "Let us out!"

There wasn't a response and Jed knew there wouldn't be. Clayton was one stubborn bear and he would wait it out until the white flag was raised.

"We could always tell him that we've made up."

"Lie?" Jed nearly spat the word. "Figures."

"What in the hell does that mean?" Noah demanded as he spun and glared at Jed. "You're the one who wants to live a lie."

Jed ignored the man. He wasn't going to stand here and debate the issue with Noah. The guy had left him. What was there to talk about? He was in the right and he didn't have to defend himself. He took a seat, keeping his back to the human.

"Sure, go ahead and act like everything is hunky-dory. You're the one with a mate out there somewhere, not me." Noah left the door and went back to the kitchenette. The man's arms were crossed over his chest and if Jed wasn't mistaken, he could hear hurt in the guy's voice. But what did Noah have to be hurt over? It wasn't him who had had his heart ripped out. It wasn't him who had finally trusted again, only to be betrayed once more.

"A mate that I may never find." Why was he even arguing with Noah? There was no point to this.

"And I'm supposed to take that chance?" Noah gaped at Jed as if the man had slapped the guy. "Right," he snorted. "Build a life with you and then watch as it's pulled out from under me when that special someone comes along." Noah made crude air quotes-his fingers like talons-when he said the word special. "I'm not into torturing myself."

No, you're into torturing me.

"It doesn't matter. You leaving said it all." Jed grunted, refusing to say another word. He'd wait until the end of time before he made up with Noah. The man had no clue what they could have had together. He'd bailed. End of story.

"You're one pigheaded man!" Noah slammed his fist onto the counter. "You just don't get it, do you?"

Jed wasn't taking the bait. He was done arguing.

"What if the shoe were on the other foot?" Noah asked. "What if it was me who had a mate out there somewhere? Would you let me go so I could live a happy life with another man?"

"I'd kill him!" Damn it. Jed turned back around, gritting his teeth so hard they should have shattered in his mouth.

"And I'm not supposed to feel that way? What do you think it does to me to know there is someone out there that you'd leave me for?"

"I would have never left you," Jed argued. When was he going to learn to keep his mouth shut?

"So, what, a menage?" Noah ground the last word out. "Hell no. I don't share. Would you share me with-"

"Enough!" Jed stood, going back to the door and yanking on the handle to no avail. What Noah said was making sense and that only pissed him off even further. There was no way in hell he would give Noah up if the roles were reversed and he didn't share either.